Women’s health resources concentrate on women’s unique health needs, as women’s bodies respond differently than men’s to disease, medications, and treatments. In Arizona, areas of health and financial disparity contribute to the unique health concerns of Arizona’s women.
The leading cause of death for Arizona females is heart disease, claiming the lives of 4,990 Arizona women in 2005.1 Fortunately, the heart disease death rate for females has declined 9.7% in the last year. 4,489 women succumbed to cancer, making cancer the second highest leading cause of death. The 2005 female cancer death rate of 136.1 per 100,000 decreased from the 2004 rate of 138.6 per 100,000. The third leading cause of death for Arizona women was stroke. The 2005 stroke mortality risk for Arizona women was 40.5 per 100,000.
Obesity is a growing problem for Arizona women, a problem which can lead to heart disease and diabetes, among other illnesses. In 2005, 20.6 percent of Arizona women were obese, a dramatic increase from 16.3% in 2002. However, the prevalence of obesity among Arizona women is lower than the national rate, which was 24.6% in 2005.2
Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become extremely thin and frail. It is more prevalent in women than men. According to a 1996 study by the Arizona Osteoporosis Coalition, 14% of all Arizonans have osteoporosis. That number is expected to increase by 2015. Osteoporosis can lead to physically and economically debilitating bone fractures and even result in death. Arizona women have a 50% chance of having an osteoporosis-relate fracture in their lifetime, which is a higher risk than the chance of getting breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and uterine cancer. The risk for osteoporosis can be dramatically lowered by getting enough calcium in one’s diet (through either food or supplements) and by participating in weight-bearing exercise like walking, running, dancing, tennis, etc.3
Pregnancy also affects the health of women. In 2005, there were 106,776 reported pregnancies resulting in 95,789 live births in Arizona. The pregnancy rate for Arizona Hispanic women (126/1000) is 2.2 times greater than for white, non-Hispanics. American Indians had the second highest pregnancy rate (96.3/1000), while African-Americans (90/1000) and Asian-Americans (95/1000) also had pregnancy rates that were above average.4 Unfortunately, 42.8% of 2005 Arizonan births were to unmarried mothers.5 This factor, addressed by Healthy Arizona 2010, can result in a number of adverse societal conditions.6
Arizona has a large population of rural women, posing unique health care problems. These problems often stem from barriers to health care access: such as the lack of insurance coverage, poverty, access to transportation, and the lack of rural health care providers. As a result, the prevalence of chronic disease and mental illness is higher in rural female populations.7 Several Arizona and national programs are working to combat this: the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the Arizona Rural Frontier Women’s Health Coordinating Center, and the Arizona Rural Health Initiative. The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System provides health care to Arizona’s uninsured and underinsured. The Arizona Rural Frontier Women’s Health Coordinating Center and the Arizona Rural Health Initiative address the difficulties of rural women in accessing adequate health care.
